Receiver comparison question - Blu-ray Forum

gates70 · 07-27-2009, 06:07 PM

Hi guys, new to this forum. I have a question about comparing receivers as far as quality of sound. I currently have a Pioneer Elite 54TX which is connected via 7.1 analog connections since it has no HDMI's. As far as sound quality goes, does anyone think there would be a big difference with lets say the Pioneer Elite VSX-23TXH ? Thanks !

BLURAYSONYES · 07-27-2009, 09:08 PM

no doubt. especially with the new digital sound decodes you can get with this new receiver. Ill say GO FOR IT.

devilfan9500 · 07-27-2009, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLURAYSONYES

no doubt. especially with the new digital sound decodes you can get with this new receiver. Ill say GO FOR IT.

+1

gates70 · 07-28-2009, 12:59 PM

Thanks guys...damn now I have to shellout the big bucks

blujacket · 07-28-2009, 03:53 PM

If your player is sending the hi-def audio codecs via PCM, I doubt you'll hear a big, if any difference bitstreaming them to a new receiver for decoding.

gates70 · 07-29-2009, 01:04 PM

Wow I'm confused again LOL

Fors* · 07-29-2009, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gates70

Wow I'm confused again LOL

For instance, with some blu-ray players, they can decode the high-end codecs (Dolby True HD/DTS-HD), and send the audio by PCM to your receiver and the receiver does no processing at all. It just plays the audio provided by the player. Or you could have the high-end codecs sent to the receiver via bitstream (this means the player has not done any processing at all) to the receiver, and then the receiver would do the decoding/processing of the high-end codecs (Dolby true HS/DTS-HD) and then play the provided audio. Some blu-ray players cannot decode at all, thus your only choice it to have the audio bitstreamed to a capable recevier that can decode the high-end codecs, but not all receivers can decode the high-end codecs either. These are things to be aware of when you purchase a blu-ray player/receiver.

I hope this helps a bit to clear it up for you....

blujacket · 07-29-2009, 01:23 PM

What Blu-ray player are you using?

JunkBoy · 07-29-2009, 02:20 PM

I was in the same situation as you...I had a Pio Elite 84 series that I thought put out some quality sound! The only difference between our setups was I had the audio going through an optical cable since I can't go the analog route on a PS3. I upgraded to a Pio Elite SC-07 and it was literally a night and day difference in sound! No comparison at all between the 2 AVR's AQ! My previous Pio Elite 84TXSi was purchased in 2006 and the improvement in technology that Pioneer has undergone in those 3 years between models was light years imo. My speakers put out sound that exceeded all my expectations! The class d ice amps that Pioneer now uses is definitely worth the upgrade and the power that these newer Elite AVR's put out is truly impressive!

If you have any questions about your AVR I, too, had those same questions (could I get better sound?). Since upgrading to the SC-07 all those questions have been laid to rest and instead of wondering about the sound when watching movies all I have now is a big grin because the sound is truly impressive when watching movies!

Fors* · 07-29-2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JunkBoy

I was in the same situation as you...I had a Pio Elite 84 series that I thought put out some quality sound! The only difference between our setups was I had the audio going through an optical cable since I can't go the analog route on a PS3. I upgraded to a Pio Elite SC-07 and it was literally a night and day difference in sound! No comparison at all between the 2 AVR's AQ! My previous Pio Elite 84TXSi was purchased in 2006 and the improvement in technology that Pioneer has undergone in those 3 years between models was light years imo. My speakers put out sound that exceeded all my expectations! The class d ice amps that Pioneer now uses is definitely worth the upgrade and the power that these newer Elite AVR's put out is truly impressive!

If you have any questions about your AVR I, too, had those same questions (could I get better sound?). Since upgrading to the SC-07 all those questions have been laid to rest and instead of wondering about the sound when watching movies all I have now is a big grin because the sound is truly impressive when watching movies!

I can further support this, although from a different angle. I had an Onkyo 605, and the kind of clear and clean sound my SC-05 pushes out puts the Onkyo 605 to shame. The class D ICE amps are soo incredibly efficient and powerful that the audio I get now is rather seemless in sound. I could not believe how much of a difference the audio could be with a much better receiver. To me, it was one of the two best purchases I ever made (the other being my SVS sub...

).

gates70 · 07-30-2009, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blujacket

What Blu-ray player are you using?

Samsung BDP-1500

Pelican170 · 07-30-2009, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLURAYSONYES

no doubt. especially with the new digital sound decodes you can get with this new receiver. Ill say GO FOR IT.

If he is running it through analogs, he is already getting the new codecs, id say save the money...

gates70 · 07-31-2009, 05:21 AM

Alright I've made up my mind. I'll go with Pioneer SC-05 to upgrade my 54TX. Now I just have to sell my 54TX. Anyone have a clue as to how much a thing like that could sell for ?

gates70 · 07-31-2009, 07:56 PM

Went out and bought the SC-05 today for $1479 CDN. I will post my thoughts once installed and calibrated.

Fors* · 07-31-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gates70

Went out and bought the SC-05 today for $1479 CDN. I will post my thoughts once installed and calibrated.

Congrats and welcome to the Elite club! I look forward to your impressions on this beautiful beast.

gates70 · 08-01-2009, 03:26 AM

Alright it's installed and calibrated. One word WOW !!! I was skeptical at first since the other receiver I had was also an Elite and how better could the sound get, right ? Well it got way better. I guess I'd say immersive. First thing I noticed before calibration was bass ! There wasn't really any bass management with the other one since i was running it with the analog inputs. Once calibrated the sound was incredible and powerful. And speaking of calibration, the MCACC on this unit was a breeze. As soon as I plugged the mic it went directly into the menu. With the other unit I had to find which input I assigned the "monitor out" too and the GUI was crap. Compared to my old unit everything seemed to come alive instead of being flat. Soundtrack was alive, soundstage was wide, and you heard little sounds that you were unsure where they were coming from. Great effect ! Even at low levels everything still came alive. On my other unit I never used the THX setting since i always thought it made the sound too bland and lifeless. Well I can say that with THX Select2 it's a whole other ball game...amazing !

Rob J in WNY · 08-01-2009, 03:47 AM

It's almost sickening how the Pioneer Elite receivers are gaining additional momentum lately!

Gates70,

Welcome to the site, congrats on your new SC-05, and welcome to the "ICE Club!"

I have the same receiver and it continues to impress me each time I run movies at reference-level volumes. I just watched "Crank" again and it is just amazing how well it handles the large volume dynamics present in that movie's audio. I bitstream the audio to my SC-05 for decoding. I have a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player, so I don't get onboard decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio. I just bitstream it to my SC-05 and let it do the work.

To be sure, there are those who use their Blu-ray players to decode the multichannel HD audio (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio) and send the decoded audio to receivers/processors via analog 7.1 outputs. Many of these people are enthusiasts who insist that the sound quality is higher that way. I understand this opinion greatly. Top-end DAC (digital to analog converter) chips, quality analog line-level cables, and high-quality processing/amplification yield gorgeous audio over analog.

Ahh, but don't sweat it. You've got a great thing going with your Pioneer SC-05 and HDMI!

gates70 · 08-01-2009, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob J in WNY

I bitstream the audio to my SC-05 for decoding.

Sorry for the newbie question but I have the Samsung 1500 and I think it has internal decoding. So if I want to bitstream it like you, I just turn on the setting in the player that says bitstream ?

JunkBoy · 08-01-2009, 07:02 AM

Another satisfied customer!!

Congrats on the newest edition! I sooo share your enthusiasm too. I've had my SC-07 since April and I continue to be impressed by it. The sound, the clarity, the expansion, the bass...the power of this AVR...it just doesn't get old!

And yes, if you want to bitstream then just change the setting on your BD player.

gates70 · 08-02-2009, 03:23 AM

Been playing with this for my second day now and I can say it's an amazing machine. My only issue and it's minor, is that when you put it a bit loud it tends to be a bit too clear sounding. I'm sure there's a way to fix that. I run the Paradigm Studio series with it.

07-27-2009, 06:07 PM	#1
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Receiver comparison question Hi guys, new to this forum. I have a question about comparing receivers as far as quality of sound. I currently have a Pioneer Elite 54TX which is connected via 7.1 analog connections since it has no HDMI's. As far as sound quality goes, does anyone think there would be a big difference with lets say the Pioneer Elite VSX-23TXH ? Thanks !

Similar Threads
thread	Forum	Thread Starter	Replies	Last Post
Question about my receiver.	Receivers	blah22	2	10-12-2009 04:41 AM
PQ Comparison Question about Bluray!!	Blu-ray Movies - North America	CZAR	42	07-28-2009 03:10 AM
Receiver Question	Receivers	gillies	4	08-08-2008 04:14 AM
Question/ Comparison	Blu-ray Players and Recorders	Clapton101	5	05-26-2008 06:47 PM
receiver question	Home Theater General Discussion	theknub	2	10-16-2006 06:58 AM

07-27-2009, 09:08 PM	#2
BLURAYSONYES Banned Member since:May 2007 Location:Irvine, CA Blu-ray collection:157	no doubt. especially with the new digital sound decodes you can get with this new receiver. Ill say GO FOR IT.

07-28-2009, 12:59 PM	#4
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Thanks guys...damn now I have to shellout the big bucks

07-28-2009, 03:53 PM	#5
blujacket Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Dayton,Ohio 4K collection:70 Blu-ray collection:658	If your player is sending the hi-def audio codecs via PCM, I doubt you'll hear a big, if any difference bitstreaming them to a new receiver for decoding.

07-29-2009, 01:04 PM	#6
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Wow I'm confused again LOL

07-29-2009, 01:23 PM	#8
blujacket Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Dayton,Ohio 4K collection:70 Blu-ray collection:658	What Blu-ray player are you using?

07-29-2009, 02:20 PM	#9
JunkBoy Active Member Member since:Jun 2008 Location:San Diego Home Theater Gallery:38 Blu-ray collection:404	I was in the same situation as you...I had a Pio Elite 84 series that I thought put out some quality sound! The only difference between our setups was I had the audio going through an optical cable since I can't go the analog route on a PS3. I upgraded to a Pio Elite SC-07 and it was literally a night and day difference in sound! No comparison at all between the 2 AVR's AQ! My previous Pio Elite 84TXSi was purchased in 2006 and the improvement in technology that Pioneer has undergone in those 3 years between models was light years imo. My speakers put out sound that exceeded all my expectations! The class d ice amps that Pioneer now uses is definitely worth the upgrade and the power that these newer Elite AVR's put out is truly impressive! If you have any questions about your AVR I, too, had those same questions (could I get better sound?). Since upgrading to the SC-07 all those questions have been laid to rest and instead of wondering about the sound when watching movies all I have now is a big grin because the sound is truly impressive when watching movies!

07-31-2009, 05:21 AM	#13
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Alright I've made up my mind. I'll go with Pioneer SC-05 to upgrade my 54TX. Now I just have to sell my 54TX. Anyone have a clue as to how much a thing like that could sell for ?

07-31-2009, 07:56 PM	#14
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Went out and bought the SC-05 today for $1479 CDN. I will post my thoughts once installed and calibrated.

08-01-2009, 03:26 AM	#16
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Alright it's installed and calibrated. One word WOW !!! I was skeptical at first since the other receiver I had was also an Elite and how better could the sound get, right ? Well it got way better. I guess I'd say immersive. First thing I noticed before calibration was bass ! There wasn't really any bass management with the other one since i was running it with the analog inputs. Once calibrated the sound was incredible and powerful. And speaking of calibration, the MCACC on this unit was a breeze. As soon as I plugged the mic it went directly into the menu. With the other unit I had to find which input I assigned the "monitor out" too and the GUI was crap. Compared to my old unit everything seemed to come alive instead of being flat. Soundtrack was alive, soundstage was wide, and you heard little sounds that you were unsure where they were coming from. Great effect ! Even at low levels everything still came alive. On my other unit I never used the THX setting since i always thought it made the sound too bland and lifeless. Well I can say that with THX Select2 it's a whole other ball game...amazing !

08-01-2009, 03:47 AM	#17
Rob J in WNY Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:'Western' N.Y. State (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:24 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:486 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 15	It's almost sickening how the Pioneer Elite receivers are gaining additional momentum lately! Gates70, Welcome to the site, congrats on your new SC-05, and welcome to the "ICE Club!" I have the same receiver and it continues to impress me each time I run movies at reference-level volumes. I just watched "Crank" again and it is just amazing how well it handles the large volume dynamics present in that movie's audio. I bitstream the audio to my SC-05 for decoding. I have a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player, so I don't get onboard decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio. I just bitstream it to my SC-05 and let it do the work. To be sure, there are those who use their Blu-ray players to decode the multichannel HD audio (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio) and send the decoded audio to receivers/processors via analog 7.1 outputs. Many of these people are enthusiasts who insist that the sound quality is higher that way. I understand this opinion greatly. Top-end DAC (digital to analog converter) chips, quality analog line-level cables, and high-quality processing/amplification yield gorgeous audio over analog. Ahh, but don't sweat it. You've got a great thing going with your Pioneer SC-05 and HDMI!

08-01-2009, 07:02 AM	#19
JunkBoy Active Member Member since:Jun 2008 Location:San Diego Home Theater Gallery:38 Blu-ray collection:404	Another satisfied customer!! Congrats on the newest edition! I sooo share your enthusiasm too. I've had my SC-07 since April and I continue to be impressed by it. The sound, the clarity, the expansion, the bass...the power of this AVR...it just doesn't get old! And yes, if you want to bitstream then just change the setting on your BD player.

08-02-2009, 03:23 AM	#20
gates70 Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:289 4K collection:1484 Blu-ray collection:5225 Blu-ray reviews:1	Been playing with this for my second day now and I can say it's an amazing machine. My only issue and it's minor, is that when you put it a bit loud it tends to be a bit too clear sounding. I'm sure there's a way to fix that. I run the Paradigm Studio series with it.

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals